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Ben Okri

Ben Okri Quotes

Poet

Ben Okri is a British poet born on March 15, 1959. His poetry is deeply influenced by African culture and is known for its unique style and profound themes. Okri's works have received international recognition, including a nomination for the Nobel Prize in Literature.

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All Stories World Dream Ifs Way People Humans Writing Art Human Beings Knows Spirit Storyteller Destiny Facts Home Imagination Life Magic Nations

Famous Ben Okri Quotes

“Nations and peoples are largely the stories they feed themselves. If they tell themselves stories that are lies, they will suffer the future consequences of those lies. If they tell themselves stories that face their own truths, they will free their histories for future flowerings.”

Stories Truth Nations Lies Peoples Histories

Book:Birds of Heaven

Source: Birds of Heaven

“This earth that we live on is full of stories in the same way that, for a fish, the ocean is full of ocean. Some people say when we are born we're born into stories. I say we're also born from stories.”

People Way Stories Earth Born Ocean Fishes

Author:Ben Okri

“If you are working in an office, where do you find the time to write a novel? But you can finish a short story in five pages. Furthermore, a short story is a perfect place to learn the craft”

Ifs Writing Stories Perfect Novel Five Office Pages Crafts Short Story

Author:Ben Okri

“Maybe there are only three kinds of stories: those we live, those we tell, and those that help our souls fly upwards to a greater life.”

Kind Soul Helping Stories Three Greater

Author:Ben Okri

“Stories can conquer fear, you know. They can make the heart bigger.”

Knows Heart Stories Fear Bigger Storytelling Conquer Storyteller Telling Stories Conquering Fear Telling Your Story

Author:Ben Okri

“The fact of storytelling hints at a fundamental human unease, hints at human imperfection. Where there is perfection there is no story to tell.”

Humans Facts Stories Perfection Fundamentals Storytelling Imperfection Hints Perfection And Imperfection Human Imperfection

Author:Ben Okri

“The greatest religions convert the world through stories.”

World Stories Converting

Book:A Way of Being Free

Source: A Way of Being Free

“A people are as healthy and confident as the stories they tell themselves. Sick storytellers can make nations sick. Without stories we would go mad. Life would lose it’s moorings or orientation... Stories can conquer fear, you know. They can make the heart larger.”

People Knows Heart Stories Nations Loses Healthy Sick Mad Storytelling Conquer Storyteller Orientation Conquering Fear

Author:Ben Okri

“Without stories we would go mad. Life would lose its moorings or lose its orientations. even in silence we are living our stories”

Stories Loses Silence Mad Orientation

Author:Ben Okri

“To see the madness and yet walk a perfect silver line. ... That's what the true story-teller should be: a great guide, a clear mind, who can walk a silver line in hell or madness.”

Should Mind Stories Lines Walks Perfect Hell Clear Madness Guides Silver True Story Clear Minds

Author:Ben Okri

“The Nigerian storyteller Ben Okri says that ‘In a fractured age, when cynicism is god, here is a possible heresy: we live by stories, we also live in them. One way or another we are living the stories planted in us early or along the way, or we are also living the stories we planted — knowingly or unknowingly — in ourselves. We live stories that either give our lives meaning or negate it with meaninglessness. If we change the stories we live by, quite possibly we change our lives.’”

Ifs Way Giving Stories Age Our Lives One Way Meaning Of Life Live By Cynicism Storyteller Heresy Life Means Meaninglessness

Author:Ben Okri

“To poison a nation, poison its stories. A demoralised nation tells demoralised stories to itself. Beware of the storytellers who are not fully conscious of the importance of their gifts, and who are irresponsible in the application of their art: they”

Art Stories Nations Conscious Importance Poison Application Storyteller Irresponsible Nigeria Independence

Author:Ben Okri

“I was told stories, we were all told stories as kids in Nigeria. We had to tell stories that would keep one another interested, and you weren't allowed to tell stories that everybody else knew. You had to dream up new ones.”

Children Stories Dream Kids Nigeria

Author:Ben Okri

“Stories are the secret reservoir of values: change the stories individuals and nations live by and tell themselves, and you change the individuals and nations.”

Stories Values Individual Nations Secret Live By Reservoirs

Author:Ben Okri

“Beware of the stories you read or tell; subtly, at night, beneath the waters of consciousness, they are altering your world.”

World Stories Night Water Inspiring Consciousness

Author:Ben Okri

“It is easy to forget how mysterious and mighty stories are. They do their work in silence, invisibly. They work with all the internal materials of your mind and self. They become part of you while changing you. Beware the stories you read or tell; subtly, at night, beneath the waters of consciousness, they are altering your world.”

World Mind Self Stories Night Easy Water Forget Consciousness Silence Materials Mysterious Internals

Author:Ben Okri

“People are as healthy and confident as the stories they tell themselves.”

People Stories Healthy

Book:A Way of Being Free

Source: A Way of Being Free

About the Author

Born: March 15, 1959
Known for: Poet
Quotes: 92

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Books & Sources

A Way of Being FreeRelated source material

Astonishing the GodsRelated source material

The Age of MagicRelated source material

Mental FightRelated source material

The Famished RoadRelated source material

The Freedom ArtistRelated source material

An African elegyRelated source material

Birds of HeavenRelated source material

Flowers and shadowsRelated source material

Stars Of The New CurfewRelated source material

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